2degrees and TBWA New Zealand launch ‘Ring Ring’ to stop the scroll and start the call

2degrees, in partnership with TBWA New Zealand, has launched Ring Ring, a campaign designed to help Kiwis stop scrolling and start calling the people who matter most.

The idea is deceptively simple. Ring Ring is a limited-edition thumb ring engraved with the phone number of someone you care about, designed to intercept the scroll and redirect it to something better.

In a world of smart rings that track sleep, health and stress, Ring Ring does none of that. It is a wearable device with just one function: see the number, dial the number.

The campaign is built on a simple but powerful insight: despite spending more time on our phones than ever before, we seem to have forgotten what they were made for. A few minutes on a phone call with a loved one can meaningfully boost mood and sense of connection. Yet new 2degrees research finds that over two-thirds of New Zealanders say meaningful conversations are getting harder to come by, and when given a spare moment, Kiwis are nine times more likely to reach for social media than call a loved one.

Ring Ring is the latest evolution of 2degrees’ Fairer Phones Project. After incentivising people to put their phones down with Real Mode, teaching parents and kids about phone safety with Good Tings, and giving Kiwis tips to manage notification overload, this new campaign helps celebrate the good phones can do when used to connect with the people who matter most.

Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for 2degrees, Zac Summers, says the campaign reflects a shift in how the brand is showing up for customers: “We’re using our phones more than ever but not always in ways that help us feel connected. We know a simple phone call can make us feel better, yet it’s often the last thing we do.

“Ring Ring is a fun, unexpected way to start a conversation about that. It plays on our obsession with wearable tech, but instead of tracking data, it simply nudges you to do something we know works – pick up the phone and call someone.”

Developed by TBWA NZ, the teaser campaign was built with a nod to the precision and craft of a big tech product reveal: slick macro photography, dramatic music and product titles that build to a single, deceptively simple product function: see the number, dial the number.

The product reveal film will be followed by a series of commitment films, inviting New Zealanders to publicly pledge to call more and scroll less for the chance to win a Ring Ring of their own.

Shane Bradnick, Chief Creative Officer at TBWA New Zealand says the strength of the idea lies in its simplicity: “In a world where every wearable is trying to do more, we wanted to create something that deliberately does less. Ring Ring is a genuinely useful object wrapped in an idea that feels warm, slightly absurd, and completely human.”

A limited-edition drop of rings was produced as part of the campaign, with New Zealanders able to get their thumbs on one via 2degrees. Designed to extend well beyond paid media, the campaign runs across OOH, digital, social, influencer and PR activity, inviting Kiwis to commit to scrolling less and calling more.

Client: 2degrees
Creative agency: TBWA New Zealand
PR agency: Eleven PR
Media agency: OMD New Zealand
Production company: AO Studios

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